For pet’s sake! – K9 Basics opens in Peshtigo

Rich Palzewic

Staff

September 19, 2023

PESHTIGO – Using the knowledge and skills he’s learned as a K9 officer with the Marinette Police Department (MPD), and his self-proclaimed love of dogs, Matt Borths said it made sense to him to take a leap into entrepreneurship.

Borths recently opened K9 Basics LLC – a dog training and boarding operation located at 951 Pine St. in Peshtigo.

With an acre and a half to work with, K9 Basics is ready and open for business, Borths said. 

“I’ve always been a pet owner and always loved dogs,” Borths, who still works with the MPD, said. “Combining everything I’ve done with dogs – owned, trained and worked with them for many years – I thought it was a perfect opportunity to combine all of that into one. That was the inspiration behind K9 Basics LLC.”

How it began
After growing up in Marinette and graduating from Marinette High School, Borths enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.

“I spent five years in the Marine Corps,” he said. “I spent most of my time overseas and was deployed four times.”

After his service in the military was completed, Borths said he moved back to Marinette.

“After I moved back, I went to school to become a police officer,” the 38-year-old Borths said. “I got the opportunity to become a K9 officer with MPD for a while, and I loved that. I learned a lot, and that’s what propelled me into training dogs. I started my own LLC and began training dogs on the side.”

The hobby-turned-part-time gig, Borths said, got him thinking about “doing more with the business.”

Matt Borths

“I wanted to expand on that and grow my training facility, so I added the boarding portion of it,” he said. “This is separate from anything I do with MPD – it’s all private sector. I help with dogs that need problem-solving solutions, for people who want better obedience with their dogs and offer training and day camp options.”

Though Borths said he works with any dog breed and different levels of obedience issues, more specifically, he specializes in working with aggressive and reactive canines.

“I’ve been getting people coming from Appleton, Oshkosh and as far away as Florence County to get help with reactivity issues,” he said.

The facility
Borths said it was “interesting finding a property.”

“It was a risk, but I found a nice spot in Peshtigo on an acre and a half – I love it,” he said. “I had to invest a lot, but I think it’s a good service option in the area – there’s limited boarding and training facilities around here.”

K9 Basics LLC, located at 951 Pine St. in Peshtigo, has 30 kennels for boarding dogs. It also offers dog training and doggy day camp options. Submitted Photo

With 30 kennels, 1,400 square feet of day camp training space and another 3,000 square feet of outdoor play area, Borths said he’s looking forward to hitting the ground running.

“We’ve done a soft opening to get the hang of everything,” he said. “I have four staff members, and we’re fine-tuning and will modify things as we go.”

For more information, find K9 Basics LLC on Facebook.